


I Can't Take Your Order

by Yami_Kada7



Series: Link Down [3]
Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS
Genre: Day 3, Emma recognized Kusanagi and I'm capitalizing on that, Happy Hot Dog Day!, VRAINS Week 2019, food trucks are great places for not-so-secret meetings, part interrogation, part talk
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-17
Updated: 2019-07-17
Packaged: 2020-06-30 08:13:42
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,797
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19849141
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Yami_Kada7/pseuds/Yami_Kada7
Summary: After waking up from the Neuron Link, Emma knows exactly where she has to go. So she heads to Cafe Nagi, and confronts the teen behind the counter.





	I Can't Take Your Order

**Author's Note:**

> A little bit late, but I got it out on the day!  
> Hope you all enjoy!

Consciousness came back to her gradually, and Emma shook her head to clear the remnants of the fog that the Neuron Link cast over her senses. She was back on her couch, safe at home from whatever terrors the network might choose to throw next. She sat there for a moment, processing everything. Being deadish, she decided, was not an experience she wanted to have again.

The vibration in her pocket startled her, but when she reached back it was only her phone, which was getting a call. She didn’t bother to check who the caller was, there were only three options it could be. 

“Emma speaking.”

There was a sigh on the other end. “So you’ve woken up as well, that’s good,” Akira responded. “I just got off the phone with Aoi, she’s fine as well.”

She hummed. “How are things looking over at SOL, is Mirror Link Vrains still active?”

“No, it appears to have collapsed, and the unconscious users have all woken up. There have been a lot of complaints, but none so far have had any side effects from the experience.” There was a lot of relief in his voice at that. 

It was a bit of a relief to her as well. “Keep double checking things over there, and let me know if there are any complications that you’ll need my help for.”

There were other voices in the background of the line, “I will, but what will you be doing?”

Emma paused at that. Akira didn’t recognize that person that Playmaker had dueled, and she wasn’t sure if she should tell him. “There’s one thing that I want to check on, and after that I’ll probably get some rest. It’s been a day,” She settled on.

“Alright then, good luck with that, and I’ll give you a status update once we’ve gone through the system.”

“I’m looking forward to it.” She hung up, and stood from the couch. Now to test her theory.

* * *

Den City, Emma decided, was entirely too cold at night. All those buildings just funneled the wind right along the streets, and even though it was summer it still brought chills up her spine. Luckily she’d be warming up in just a moment.

The plaza was empty when she arrived, everyone else who would normally be there to watch the happenings of Link Vrains on the screens probably still recovering from the shock of the experience. The lights of the food truck were still on though, and the window was open, allowing her to see one person inside. 

The boy didn’t even glance up as she approached, until she was just a couple yards from the counter. “Hi! Two chili dogs and a soda, please,” She smiled up at him, holding up two fingers. 

The blue-haired teen frowned. “Sorry, But we just closed up for the night. I’m afraid I can’t help you.”

Emma hummed, a low note of disappointment. “Too bad, Mr. Long Legs usually stays open pretty late, so I thought I might be in luck. Oh well.” But instead of turning and leaving, she came closer, crossing her arms on top of the counter. “Mind if I borrow the heat, then? It’s chilly out tonight.”

The teen gave her a strange look at that, although she was pretty sure that he had been giving her that look since the nickname came up. “I guess I can’t really stop you, so go ahead.” He went back to what he had been doing before she spoke, which she now realized was scrubbing the grill clean. 

“Where’s he at, anyway? I’ve never seen anyone else behind the counter before.” She started tracing idle patterns on the counter, keeping her gaze down on her nails. 

The other didn’t stop scrubbing as he replied. “He’s been taking time off recently, since his brother’s condition at the hospital suddenly got worse.” 

She stopped tracing, giving one harsh tap before looking up. She was glad she paid attention to the things Playmaker said. “Oh, so Jin-kun isn’t doing so well?” 

The boy stopped at that, looking at her with his brow furrowed. It smoothed over quickly, but she made note of it. “He was in a coma for the last couple of weeks, but he just woke up a little while ago.”

Emma leaned back, just enough to give a clap that echoed across the plaza. “That’s great! So Bohman actually kept his word, then.” She leaned back in, smile curling slowly across her face as she pinned the boy with her gaze. “That’s really great.” 

The boy set down the scrub-brush he was holding. “Just get on with it. Your interrogation tactics are terrible.”

“Eh, but here I got so much out of you, so they must be at least a little effective, Playmaker.” She straightened up, drumming her fingers on the counter. 

“Not really.” His eyes narrowed. “Who are you, and how do you know Kusanagi-san?”

“Aw, you don’t recognize me? How cruel of you, Playmaker.” She jutted out her bottom lip. “And here I’ve helped you out so much, fighting Blood Shepherd to protect Aqua, hacking Mirror Link Vrains-”

“You’re Ghost Girl?” Playmaker interrupted. 

Emma smiled, acting unfazed. “Yep! Nice to meet you officially. You’re not exactly what I expected.”

He raised one eyebrow. “And what did you expect?”

“Hm, I don’t know, some cool, strong loner who spends his days locked away from the rest of the world, existing only to fulfill his mission, who looks a lot different from the avatar he uses?” She tilted her head, looking him up and down, taking in the thin arms and comic apron. “Not a thin teen working at a hotdog truck who could be Playmaker any day of the week, with a little hair dye and makeup. Did you just go for the user-based, computer-generated avatar?”

He crossed his arms, returning her look. “You’re one to talk, you just switched your hair and eye color and gave yourself a scarf.” 

She laughed. “You’ve got me there, but only three people have recognized me so far outside of Vrains, so I think it works just fine.”

Playmaker nodded. “No matter the similarities, people will assume that it couldn’t possibly be you, especially if they know you. They make up all kinds of reasons why it’s impossible.”

Emma snapped, pointing at him. “And thus, people like us get to hide in plain sight, in your case, you can even hide in the place where you’re most likely to be recognized,” she gestured to the screens across the plaza, “without any fear of discovery. How bold of you.”

He shrugged. “You seem a lot more cautious, I’ve only seen you on occasion, a lot less often than some of the others.”

It was her turn to raise a brow. “Oh? Just how many of the people involved in this whole mess do you know?”

“Almost everyone who was in Mirror Link Vrains, and quite a few who weren’t there.” He picked up the brush and started scrubbing again. “Of course most of them don’t know how involved I am. You’re the third to figure me out.”

“Who beat me?” She thought back on the other people she had seen Playmaker interact with. “Revolver. You seemed unusually inclined to trust him when he suggested the alliance.” 

Playmaker nodded. “He was the first.”

“And I can’t believe that you would bring in another teammate yourself, so the one with the cute Ignis must have beaten me as well, right~?”

He shook his head. “It was Flame, actually. Then he led Soulburner to me, which doesn’t count as him figuring me out.”

“Speaking of the Ignis,” Emma craned her head, looking around the interior of the truck, “Where’s yours? I’m shocked that he hasn’t popped up to give his two cents yet.”

Playmaker froze. “He needed some space. It was a hard blow to him when he couldn’t get the other Ignis back.”

Emma looked down, away from him. “I’m sorry.”

He shook his head. “It wasn’t your fault, there was nothing any of you could do.” His voice was barely audible. “If I had only fought him earlier, then maybe I could have stopped it.”

“I doubt Lightning wouldn’t have had another plan in case Bohman went down before him.” She shrugged. “He was too thorough for that.”

Playmaker put the brush away in a drawer, reaching behind him to untie his apron. “Probably, but we’ll never know for sure.” He disappeared out of sight for a moment, then came back without the apron. “It would have been worth a shot.”

She was about to respond, when a loud beep cut through the air. Emma fished her phone out of her pocket, opening it up to see that she had an email from Akira. She blew out a breath, looking up at the other. “Seems like my assistance is required for something, probably a bug left over in the system that Akira is having trouble with.”

He seemed unfazed at her mention of the other. “The main components of Link Vrains looked fine when I checked earlier, it must be a smaller program that needs work.” 

She chuckled. “As long as it isn’t the logout function again, I think that it’ll work out fine.” She looked back up at Playmaker, giving him a bright grin. “You sure I can’t get that hot dog before I go? I am a regular, after all.”

He shook his head, and something that might have been a smile ghosted across his face. “Sorry, but I can’t think of you as a regular, I don’t even know your name.”

Emma gasped, raising a hand in front of her mouth in mock shock. “Oh, how silly of me!” She stretched her right hand out across the counter, “Emma Bessho, virtual treasure hunter, at your service!”

Playmaker rolled his eyes, but reached out and clasped her hand. “Fujiki Yusaku, part-time hacker and hot dog vendor. Nice to meet you.”

She shook his hand once before dropping it. “A pleasure to meet you as well! Tell Mr. Long Legs that I said hello!”

There was no reaction to the nickname this time around. “You can tell him yourself, he’s manning the truck tomorrow. And if you get here at a more reasonable hour, you might even get to meet Soulburner.” 

“I can’t wait!” She turned and started walking back to where she was parked. “See you tomorrow then, Fujiki-kun!”

“Until then, Bessho-san.” There was a clang of metal on metal behind her, and when she glanced back, the truck was sealed tight.

The cold seeped back into her skin as she walked back to her bike, but all the way home, she still thought she could feel the warmth of the truck.

**Author's Note:**

> Please leave any thoughts, comments, or suggestions down below! I love reading them!
> 
> In the spirit of last year's Vrainsweek, this work is not beta'd!


End file.
